Recipe Weekend /Cookbook Review: The Mom 100 Cookbook by Katie Workman


Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from Kohl's , for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it


back to school button


The lazy days of summer are officially gone and the fast pace of school night routines has begun. 

Kohl’s is here to help moms looking for recipes to help you take the stress out of last minute meal planning, with hassle-free, family meal recipes from The Mom 100 Cookbook .

It is part of the Koh's Cares program and is available for ONLY $5 through Kohl’s !

the mom 100 cover


Synopsis:

The MOM 100 Cookbook is the lifesaving cookbook that every mom needs, filled with delicious, no-fuss, easily adaptable recipes, plus tips, attitude and wisdom for surviving and staying happy in the kitchen while proudly keeping it homemade. Because homemade not only tastes best, it is best for you. The Mom 100 dazzles with main-dish meats, Monday Night Brisket to Apple-Glazed Pork Chops, fish dishes they’ll actually eat, healthy snacks and pretty healthy desserts, like fun Fruit Salad on a Stick. Picky eaters? Breakfast insanity? Last-minute company? Don’t worry – the Mom100’s got you covered!


Kohl's Cares:

Everyone can feel good knowing that Kohl’s donates 100 percent of the net profit of Kohl's Cares products, to children’s health and education initiatives nationwide. Since the program’s inception in 2000, the Kohl’s Cares philanthropic program has raised more than $231 million for children’s health and education programs in local communities across the country.

The cookbook is in stores nationwide and online now through September 20th


Review:

The recipes in this book for the most part are very simple with under 6 ingredients (some like the one below are longer), and are made with items you probably have in your pantry at any given time! Nothing is over -adventurous, but may be spiced up a bit differently to make the meal interesting, yet not far off the target, so your kids won't eat them! There are full color pictures for every recipe,something every cook loves! This is also a great entry level cookbook for teens, and a great housewarming present cookbook for new apartment coeds! Add to the fact that the money raised from the cookbook goes to charity, it's a win-win for everyone involved! And at this unbelievable price, pick up a few and you can cross off a lot of names on your Christmas list (111 days til Christmas!)!

Check out a great recipe from the book, one of my fav's!

Recipe:


Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 8 to 10 as a main dish,A Fork in the Road Recipe,Vegetarian

My kids like Kraft macaroni and cheese. There, I said it. I haven’t made it in a long time although, like most of us, I have succumbed to the call of the blue box at times. But even now when they eat it at a friend’s house I definitely get to hear about it later: “Kiefer gets to have the macaroni and cheese in the box every night. Why can’t we ever have that?”

Still, they seem to be willing to shovel in this homemade version at a pretty fast clip, and we can pronounce all of the ingredients. Laced with a blend of cheeses and enriched with milk and cream, even grown-up guests tend to sigh with pleasure while looking at the browned crust sitting atop a bubbling casserole of cavatelli nestled in a sauce fragrant with a mixture of Gruyère and cheddar. (Although we call it macaroni and cheese, the actual pasta shape is up for grabs.) It’s hard to think of a single dish with more universal kid appeal.

The Dijon mustard and red pepper flakes give the macaroni and cheese a little kick, a little edge, and save the dish from being too intensively rich and creamy (not that there’s anything wrong with that). And, no, this isn’t low fat. Thanks for asking.
the mom 100 macaroni and cheese

Ingredients: 

For the panko topping 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 
3 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs, see Note) 
1⁄2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

For the pasta and cheese sauce 
4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter, plus butter for greasing the baking dish(es) 
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
412 cups 2 percent or whole milk (however indulgent you’re feeling) 
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream 
5 cups coarsely grated flavorful cheese, such as sharp cheddar or Gruyère, or a mix (see Who Moved My Cheese to the Back of the Fridge? page 169) 
1⁄2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard 11⁄2 teaspoons kosher or coarse salt, or more to taste 
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste 
11⁄2 packages (24 ounces) dried cavatelli, ziti, penne, or any short pasta


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
2. Butter a shallow 4-quart baking dish (or use 2 smaller baking dishes, or one smaller baking dish and some individual ramekins
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it generously, and let the water return to a boil. 
4. Meanwhile, make the panko topping: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat or place it in a medium-size microwave-safe dish and heat it in a microwave oven until melted, 15 seconds. Add thepanko and the Parmesan and stir until well combined. Set the panko topping aside. 
5. Make the pasta and sauce: Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and red pepper flakes, if using. Cook, stirring, until the flour is blond in color, about 4 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high and let come to a simmer, whisking frequently. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, grated cheese, Parmesan, mustard, salt, and black pepper, stirring until everything is smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or black pepper as necessary. 
6. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook it until barely al dente (follow the package directions but stop a minute or two before the pasta is completely tender). Set aside 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
Whisk the reserved pasta cooking water into the cheese sauce, combining it thoroughly. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and stir to combine. Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. There will appear to be a lot of sauce. Some of it will be absorbed into the pasta as it cooks, and in my book saucy is better than dry. 
Sprinkle the panko topping evenly over the pasta and bake it until golden and bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes. Let the pasta sit for a few minutes before serving.

Note: Panko are light Japanese dried bread crumbs. Although they are available at most supermarkets and at any Asian market, you can substitute 3 cups of fresh bread crumbs or 2 cups of regular unseasoned dry bread crumbs.




About the Author:

Katie is the author of The Mom 100 Cookbook and the creator of themom100.com blog. She is also the founding Editor in Chief of Cookstr.com, the website that shares tested, trusted recipes from cookbooks created by respected chefs and cookbook authors.

Katie and The Mom 100 Cookbook have been featured on The Today Show, VH1, Fox News, and many other national and local television shows, as well as The New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine, Parade Magazine, Relish, and Cooking Light Magazine, where The Mom 100 Cookbook was named one the best 5 Weeknight Cookbooks of the past 25 years.  Online publicity includes everything from parents.com to leitesculinaria.com.  The Mom 100 Cookbook was also nominated for a 2013 IACP award in the Family Cookbooks category.

Katie has worked with various companies as a spokesperson and recipe developer, such as Driscoll Berries, Minute Rice, Success Rice, and Sam’s Club.  Themom100.com blog was awarded BlogHer’s Voices of the Year award in 2013. Katie sits on the board of City Harvest, New York’s leading food rescue nonprofit, and for the past 20 years has been an active supporter of Share Our Strength, a hunger relief organization dedicated to eradicating childhood hunger. Katie lives with her husband and two children in New York City, where all sorts of friends, neighbors, and families with kids in tow wind up at her table.

Comments